President Trump said Monday his administration will look “very strongly” at reforming the welfare system and plans to make the issue a priority during his presidency.
“One thing we’re going to be looking at very strongly is welfare reform. That’s becoming a very, very big subject and people are taking advantage of the system and then other people aren’t receiving what they really need to live, and we think it’s very unfair to them,” Trump told reporters before a meeting with his Cabinet. “But some people are really taking advantage of our system from that standpoint, and we are really going to be looking very, very strongly therefore at welfare reform.”
The president did not provide details on what, specifically, he would do to reform the welfare system, but said the efforts were part of his priority to cut government spending.
The president’s commitment to welfare reform comes as Republicans on Capitol Hill are already working to overhaul the healthcare system, draft legislation reforming the tax code, and pass a bill addressing ‘Dreamers,’ the name given to those who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children and are protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
The Trump administration announced last month the DACA program would end March 5, giving lawmakers six months to come up with a legislative fix.
Despite Congress’ packed agenda, Trump said welfare reform would be a priority of his administration.
“It’s going to be a very big topic under this administration,” he said. “It’s started already, and we have a lot of recommendations that we’re going to be making and you’ll be hearing about them very shortly.”
